AggieShanks said:

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After reading other comments, this is a great takeaway for sure. I believe that others hold onto a dream that is increasingly impossible to really achieve without government intervention.

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What dream exactly? Being filthy rich? Not everyone's dream. Living a great life and being comfortable are attainable in the US. It ain't hard.

AggieShanks said:

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I don't like freeloaders, but i do believe in helping others. We judge ourselves based on how strong our bottom is. Even poor in America doesn't scratch the surface of poor in other countries because of socialism.

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Our poor live better than many socialist countries "middle" class.

AggieShanks said:

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Medicaid, social security, the current status of the tax bracket to pay for education.

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Oh you mean the SS that may go bust by 2030. The Medicare they give out to illegals while Americans pay exorbitant cost of healthcare with Medicaid and medicare being inflationary contributors.

And what is modern education ? Certainly not it was just a few decades ago. Even the Ivies are pumping out morons as evident in this spring's so called protest against Israel.

You dont have a clue.

Moderate Republican, which is what f16 calls a "flaming lib"

So many closest libs with hurt feelings on this thread.

If you need therapy, I hear Harry Sisson is starting a support group.

AggieShanks said:

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I don't like freeloaders, but i do believe in helping others. We judge ourselves based on how strong our bottom is. Even poor in America doesn't scratch the surface of poor in other countries because of socialism.

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If you wanted the poor to be helped, then government is the last thing you ask for. The free market has done more for the poor than government ever has or ever will.

AggieShanks said:

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Liking a few socialist policies isn't socialism. Socialism is a far cry from what we'd want to become.

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but you vote for it

txwxman said:

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Moderate Republican, which is what f16 calls a "flaming lib"

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I have yet to see you defend the right on a single issue.

txwxman said:

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Moderate Republican, which is what f16 calls a "flaming lib"

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I don't believe you.gif

Moderate/Independent as ****.

AggieShanks said:

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Socialist policies are why the US is still a country. Without it, we'd be just as bad as most of the countries on this side of the world.

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Quote:

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Medicaid, social security, the current status of the tax bracket to pay for education.

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I think you are mistaking the misguided and failing government programs for the tendencies of the American people as a whole.

Americans as a whole are generous, hard working, innovative, and independent. It's not Medicaid that makes us great, it's that we voluntarily help those in need more than any other country. It isn't the Social Security ponzi scheme that makes us great, it's that we plan for our individual futures. It's not the tax bracket for education that makes us great, it's the drive to make the future great no matter what the past looked like.

Sharpshooter said:

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Fatboy Thaddeus said:

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Well here's my estimate of board population:

• MAGA "conservatives": 80%
• non-MAGA conservatives: 17%
• liberals & independents: 3%

It'd be interesting to see how many MAGA folks were led to their current persuasion by Fox News and talk radio, and how many came to that camp from the "liberals & independents" crowd. My guess is, on this board, 95% of the MAGA folks are of the "Fox News MAGA" demographic.

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Rush Limbaugh corrected my thinking over just a few years. I am not "conservative." I consider myself to the right of the Tea Party.

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This.

Conservative =/= Republican by today's definition and how the R's govern.

They'll usual create a sock, go off the deep end, then rinse and repeat.

txwxman said:

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Moderate Republican, which is what f16 calls a "flaming lib"

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What IS a moderate Republican? Please enlighten us.

nu awlins ag said:

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txwxman said:

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Moderate Republican, which is what f16 calls a "flaming lib"

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What IS a moderate Republican? Please enlighten us.

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I would say Ted Cruz. I like him despite his liberal views.

Tom Fox said:

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nu awlins ag said:

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txwxman said:

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Moderate Republican, which is what f16 calls a "flaming lib"

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What IS a moderate Republican? Please enlighten us.

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I would say Ted Cruz. I like him despite his liberal views.

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Ted or Tom?

I used to be a conservative, but then I watched Newt Gingrich and the GOP squander away that movement and allow the progressives to take over Hollywood academia the department of Justice, the IRS and all of media. Then I watched Glenn Beck go off the rails I am now in America first populist because the conservative movement is worthless and will never gain traction in this country as there are too many people on the public tit (on both sides of the aisle and in both parties) The fact is spending will never be cut. Government will never be reduced and conservative. Social issues will never come to fruition. It's just a simple fact and it's time to be pragmatic

nu awlins ag said:

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Tom Fox said:

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nu awlins ag said:

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txwxman said:

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Moderate Republican, which is what f16 calls a "flaming lib"

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What IS a moderate Republican? Please enlighten us.

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I would say Ted Cruz. I like him despite his liberal views.

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Ted or Tom?

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Senator Ted

valvemonkey91 said:

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I used to be a conservative, but then I watched Newt Gingrich and the GOP squander away that movement and allow the progressives to take over Hollywood academia the department of Justice, the IRS and all of media. Then I watched Glenn Beck go off the rails I am now in America first populist because the conservative movement is worthless and will never gain traction in this country. Is there too many people on the public tit

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Politicians don't create social sentiment. Gingrich was the sole reason Clinton had a balanced budget. He did his job. The population as a whole dropped the ball on the Marxist creep into society. And it didn't start in the last 20 years. It's been going on since the New Deal. But when middle America is feeling prosperous, they refuse to rock the boat. It's the common man providing for his family who refused to intervene and stop the Marxist takeover before it's claws were deep into our back. And it's not necessarily his fault. He just wasn't forward looking. And we still aren't. We still focus on maintaining the broken status quo instead of getting ahead of the terrifying calamity facing us, both socially and financially.

But it is the politicians that we (former/current conservatives) elect that vote for spending, and all the Marxism that has infected this country. I will still vote for the most conservative politician running, but do not have any illusions that I won't be sold out when the time comes for a conservative vote. The country is beyond repair. If we are to go bankrupt, let it be because of spending HERE and not in foreign wars and supporting every other country on thr globe.

Quote:

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Oh you mean the SS that may go bust by 2030. The Medicare they give out to illegals while Americans pay exorbitant cost of healthcare with Medicaid and medicare being inflationary contributors.

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Illegals get Medicaid (TP30), they don't generally get Medicare. But it's A LOT of medicaid they get.

I think you can also solve our debt by raising taxes on our highest bracket, increasing corporate taxes if they aren't going to raise pay for the middle and lower levels of their models, and closing IRS loopholes.

You said Ted Cruz has liberal views!?

Philanthropy in our country is actually decreasing. So, so much for helping others.

AggieShanks said:

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You said Ted Cruz has liberal views!?

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Nice try troll. No, the OTHER poster did. Try and keep up.

AggieShanks said:

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Philanthropy in our country is actually decreasing. So, so much for helping others.

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That is because government has replaced charity and steals from people rather than allowing them to give to the causes of their choice.

Except of course for the millions of takers. They don't give ***** They just take from those of us who pay taxes.

AggieShanks said:

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Philanthropy in our country is actually decreasing. So, so much for helping others.

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Because the policies you support have eliminated disposable income.

AggieShanks said:

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Philanthropy in our country is actually decreasing. So, so much for helping others.

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Then pony up big boy!

AggieShanks said:

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Philanthropy in our country is actually decreasing. So, so much for helping others.

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The further left we go, the less we individually take responsibility for our neighbors. Why help those in need? That's the governments job, right?

AggieShanks said:

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Philanthropy in our country is actually decreasing. So, so much for helping others.

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that happens when government takes 40% of what productive people earn. You vote for that. Tax the rich! Make them pay their "fair share"! Redistribute the wealth. Yeah, because government is good at spending my money. They're so efficient and productive with everything they do, we should give them more! Who needs charities when we have government deciding who to give to, how much, and when for us?

AggieShanks said:

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I think you can also solve our debt by raising taxes on our highest bracket, increasing corporate taxes if they aren't going to raise pay for the middle and lower levels of their models, and closing IRS loopholes.

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So....raise prices for earnings, raise prices for products, and closing "loopholes" like, say, depreciation on large capital items?

Sounds legit.

That should cover about half of our yearly interest payment on our debt.

Old McDonald said:

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aggiebq03+ said:

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Or even skip the comparison if you like.
Why "Never Trump"?

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many reasons, but the most disqualifying to me was his refusal to concede his loss in 2020 and everything he attempted to overturn that election.

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This seems silly. Since that's after you cast your vote last time. Why was it "never Trump" in the last election?

AggieShanks said:

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Philanthropy in our country is actually decreasing. So, so much for helping others.

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Incorrect. At least as far as your implication, there is not trend downward. For 2022 socialistic inflation, increased prices, caused people to have less money available to donate. Works the same for taxes, the more the government take, the less people can give. Also individual, each making individual choice do a much better job of determining true need, and do it without the overhead of government "charity" (which should not come under the purview of the federal government anyway).



https://www.pgcalc.com/insight-training/pg-calc-featured-articles/giving-usa-report-is-it-the-end-of-the-world

And the true thing of note in this graph, is that for 2020 and 2021, during the duress of the pandemic, giving INCREASED, because governmental policies created massive need.

I work in philanthropy. The top givers have been giving more, but they give to specific institutions. As a whole, there are less participants in philanthropy and less gifts. It's a problem industry wide.

Looks like he posted facts. Do you have facts to dispute it?